In his address, Vance focused on the challenges he faces running a twenty-first-century prosecutor’s office. The Manhattan D.A.’s office, he noted, is unlike any other in the country. It handles about 100,000 new cases a year – more than the U.S. Department of Justice handles nationwide. And the threats have grown more complex and daunting, from terrorism to Ponzi schemes, some of which, Vance noted, “are the size of large corporations or small nations’ economies.” Computer crime, such as identity theft, has soared, he said, calling the Internet “the crime scene of the twenty-first century.” Vance also mentioned his creation of the Conviction Integrity Policy Advisory Panel, which grew out of “the realization that, while rare, individuals have been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.” The panel reviews procedures and select cases to try to assure that errors are not made. Vance named Barkow a member of the panel in 2010.